This invention relates generally to barbecue grill accessories and in particular, to an accessory work surface or table.
Barbecue grills for outdoor cooking have become enormously popular in recent decades, especially the kettle type grills which have a fire bowl for containing the hot coals and a metal grid spaced above the coals for supporting food that is being cooked. A particularly popular kettle type grill is one in which the fire bowl is generally hemispherical with an circular open top and the metal grid is spaced below the upper edge or rim of the bowl. The bowl is supported in some models by a tripod leg arrangement, two legs of which have wheels rotatably mounted on an axle extending between the two legs and with rods connecting the two wheeled legs to the third leg. The end of the third leg rests on the ground to hold the grill in place. Some brands of kettle grills have the bowl supported by methods other than a tripod with wheels, for example, a four leg support. The grill typically has a removable cover, often also having a hemispheric shape.
Most barbecue grills, however, generally do not have any table surface for supporting items such as food, plates, utensils and the like. Some prior devices have attempted to respond to this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,541 issued to Stephen et al. discloses a serving board which is configured to rest on a L-shaped frame in which one leg of the L is attached by clips to the fire bowl of a kettle type grill while the other leg rests on the ground and acts as a support for the serving board. As the table is supported by the ground, it must be set up each time the grill is moved. Further, if the grill or table should be accidentally bumped, the grill can be set in motion, and likely upsetting the table and things thereupon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,751 issued to Sampson et al. discloses a similar arrangement except that the frame supporting the tray/table is a rod or strut that connects to one of the legs of the grill. One end of the tray/table is configured to be directly adjacent to the fire bowl and can become overheated during the cooking process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,123 issued to Alles et al. discloses a device similar in construction to that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,751 except that the tray/table is supported by one of the grill handles which is positioned near the top of the fire bowl. Again, the close fit of an end of the tray/table to the fire bowl can result in overheating during the cooking process.
Other table surfaces for grills are disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,386 issued to Spitzer and U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,042 issued to Persinger. et al. The construction of these devices is similar to those of the above-described patents with either a strut support to a leg of the grill or an L-shaped support with one leg of the L serving as a ground support for the table.
Thus, notwithstanding these known table surfaces, the art has not adequately responded to date with the introduction of a table or work area that requires neither a strut support nor a separate leg support, and that does impede the portability of the grill.